Kat Von D, star of LA Ink, will be in the UK and available for Interview

Kat Von D arrives in the UK this week to begin the European leg of her book tour. She will be in London for a booksigning at Waterstones Piccadilly on Friday 26th November. She then flies to Ireland for a booksigning at Waterstones in Dublin on Saturday 27th November.

People can’t get enough of Kat Von D, the charismatic star of TLC’s LA Ink and one of the world’s most sought-after tattoo artists. In 2009 she released her first book High Voltage Tattoo, which became an immediate New York Times bestseller. In her gorgeous new book, THE TATTOO CHRONICLES (Collins Design; November 26, 2010; £19.99), Kat offers an intimate look at a pivotal year in her personal and professional life through an illustrated diary that begins in spring 2008 and ends in summer 2009. When Kat does a tattoo, she writes about it and draws sketches in a journal, creating an entry for each piece. She has hundreds of ledgers of these entries in her own writing, which reflect upon not only upon the significance of the tattoo for the person who is receiving it, but also how the experience of creating this tattoo affects her personally. In these entries—some poignant, some hilarious, some confessional—she lays it on the line about how the experience of creating these tattoos affect her personally. Here are the highs and the lows, the good, the bad, and the ugly—including her feelings about her fame, her family, her boyfriend Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe, her friends, and fans: On sobriety: “The first six months of getting sober consisted of nothing but accumulative isolation. My phone stopped ringing the minute word got out I had put the bottle down—and that was pretty painful. I wasn’t hurt by the fact that my “friends” weren’t including me in on the action, but it was reality sinking in that I had no real friends that stung the most.” On individuality: “I know firsthand what it’s like to feel ‘different.’ And when people argue a stance against same-sex marriage I am reminded of the comments I’d hear once I started getting heavily tattooed. Even worse were the people who’d offer remarks just loud enough for me to hear, just quiet enough to not have to claim them as they slipped away into the passive shadows they came from. It was probably just as hard for me to understand why people reacted that way to me as it was for them to understand that tattooing wasn’t just a self-inflicted label for degenerates, but another form of self-expression for me.” On beauty: “There’s a place inside all of us that begs to feel sexy and loved—but no amount of surgery will ever get that for you, because you have to find it within yourself. I hear myself starting to sound like a cliché, but it’s the goddamn honest truth. What do we stand to gain from the Botoxed face that conceals our ages? When did being older, wiser, and more experienced stop being sexy?” On love: “Nothing is a bigger turn-on than seeing your mate on fire, productive, excited about something. I don’t know if I ever had a chance to feel so inspired in my past relationships. Nikki made me feel like I had to question whether I had actually ever truly been in love.” On tattooing: “For the first time in my life, tattooing isn’t here to save me from myself, and this impossibility feels more real than ever. As much enjoyment as it brings meeting fans on this book tour and spending time with Nikki here and there, I do miss my old companion—tattooing. I miss the connection I feel when I tattoo, and this makes me want to go home so badly.” Visually stunning and unique in its design from page to page, THE TATTOO CHRONICLES is jam-packed with tons of Kat’s images, from sketches of her tattoos to the finished works, and candid shots of friends, family, and her many unusual personal collections—all photographed by Kat herself. Fans will love reading about her array of clients from all walks of life, including Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, Dave Navarro, and members of Metallica, Green Day, Kings of Leon, and the Eagles as much as they will love seeing new photographs of Kat that were taken specifically for the book. THE TATTOO CHRONICLES is the real Kat Von D: unscripted and uncensored! About the author: Kat Von D is a tattooer and the star of LA Ink. In 2007, she set the Guinness World Record for doing the most tattoos in a 24-hour period. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller High Voltage Tattoo and the creator of an exclusive makeup and fragrance line for Sephora. Her tattoo shop, High Voltage Tattoo, is in Hollywood, where she lives. THE TATTOO CHRONICLES By Kat Von D Collins Design On-Sale: November, 2010 £19.99